do tubes rock ??

John_l, I too am glad we politely agree to disagree. I have never thought about using the Baron(it's stereo) for guitar. As I am not around them now, I am not sure... My friend just got a Boogie last month, and let me tell you, it kicks SERIOUS butt. He has had a Peavey 5150, and a few Marshalls(including some cool vintage ones), but this is far and away the best. We threw some Groove Tube(JJ for people who don't want to get ripped off) EL34s(just have to flip an internal switch, the amp takes care of the rest - bias, etc.) a guy had laying around in it, and it totally changed the amp. But, he much prefers the sound of the 6L6 in this amp. Just his taste in music. Trust me on this one, if you want a KILLER replacement for your 6L6, try the Sovtek KT66. Yes, they cost 3X more($60/pair) than 6L6, but you will be stunned at their tone. Great conversing with you!

Out of curiousity, was the Boogie a double or triple rectifier ? As to the Peavey amps, i've always found the Ultra 120 to be far more satisfying and versatile than the 5150. Sean >

This amp is a dual rectifier, using 5U4s. As you probably know you can get single, dual, or triple rectifier from Mesa. You can even switch between tube or diode rectification. Have to say they are built and sound terrific. The interesting thing to me is how guitar people look at the $1200 cost as astronomical. And my friend makes great money. We spend that much on an interconnect...

As a fellow Thiel owner, I appreciate your situation. The CS 7 is a terrific speaker but craves a mountain of current and watts to sing right. You can get it with tubes, but quality tube current is seriously expensive (and a continuing retubing cost). You should also consider that your listening preference will further narrow the field. A good many tube amps, when pushed by tough loads, don't offer quite the same bottom octave definition as an SS design. Your room is NOT small, so you'll really need some power to get the SPLs you want from the CS7s. IMHO, the right tube amps for that situation will likely replace your heater too. And I'm talking push-pull - if you want triode mode, well . . . Were you running horns or some other high efficiency speaker, the situation would be entirely different. I've played with many tubes over the years with my Thiels. The EL34s are probably the 'classic' sound for rockers. However, they're not my top choice for durability with a heavy load unless you're going to run a lot of them. I've had the best success with KT-90s - a very rugged tube with fine dynamics. KT-90s are harder to find now. The 6550 is not a bad power tube, linear and a bit 'dryer' than some of the others, and very available. Thiels have a fairly flat impedence curve across the range, which helps. Nevertheless, all being said, I've found my Thiels sound best with an SS power amp and tubed front end. With this arrangement your Thiels will get their fill of watts, yield the detailed and transparent bass slam they're capable of, while retaining much of the fluidity, presence and soundstaging that tubes do best. Thiels are amazingly detailed and do the whole range well - the flip side is that they'll cruelly expose any and every upstream shortcoming. This is why as much as I love tube amps (especially in triode, zero feedback mode), I think it's too difficult a match with the big Thiels. There's a lot of smoother sounding SS gear today - Classe and McCormack are two that immediately come to mind. I thought the old Thresholds were really musical. Musical Fidelity makes a wonderful little SS amp right now, the A3cr, that sounds delightful with the small Thiels, but would be underpowered with the CS7s. With SS power and tubes up front you'll save a lot of money and space, have a much cooler room and get great overall sound. Oh, by the way, run a dedicated circuit for whichever amp you decide upon. Thiels like that.